PORTLAND – Against the No. 17 team in the NCAA Division-I FCS rankings, the Western Oregon Wolves were undone by three turnovers, losing to Portland State, 31-0, at Providence Park.
 
WOU had to defend against one of the best rushing offenses in the country, regardless of NCAA division. PSU had season bests with 59 rushing attempts and 256 yards on the ground.
 
"I thought our defense did play hard," WOU head coach Arne Ferguson said.  "They made some mistakes, but they played hard and physical against a talented PSU team that's been running the football against Washington State and Idaho State consistently. The intensity, the effort and the determination (of the defense) were there.
 
Meanwhile, the Wolves offense that had a couple of 300-yard efforts was held to a season-low 224 yards.
 
The loss was the second in a row for Western Oregon. The Wolves dropped to 1-3 on the season while the Vikings improved to 3-0. It was the first time WOU has been shutout in a game since 2010's Battle for Seattle against Central Washington, played at Qwest Field (now CenturyLink Field).
 
Neither team scored in the opening quarter, seeing the Wolves punt three times and the Vikings four. Western Oregon outgained the Vikings in total yards in the first 15 minutes, 80-58.
 
The Vikings offense sparked in the second quarter after an interception of senior quarterback Trey Shimabukuro deep in the red zone. PSU drove 60 yards in seven plays, including a 46 yard pass play and a crucial 15-yard run on third down inside WOU territory. The drive culminated in a two-yard TD scamper by quarterback Alex Kuresa.
 
PSU went into the trick plays section of its repertoire for its second score. The Vikings set up for a 42-yard field goal attempt, but the holder Josh Kraght had another idea. He took the snap and ran nearly untouched into the end zone to give Portland State a 14-0 lead.
 
Late in the half, PSU took advantage of a short field to tack on a 24-yard field goal to set the halftime margin at 17-0.
 
Portland State added rushing touchdowns in each of the third and fourth quarter for the final 31-0 cushion.
 
Shimabukuro threw for 182 yards on 18-of-25 passing in just over three quarters. Junior quarterback David Sowards led the team over the final three drives and completed five passes for 15 yards.
 
Joe Harris lead WOU with 31 yards rushing while Daniel Thomas led the receiving corps with 44 yards on four catches.
 
Jonathan Breland led the Wolves defense with 12 tackles and Shane Kuenzi added eight stops. Linebacker Doug Parrish had six overall tackles with two coming for loss.
 
Western Oregon closes out a three-game road swing with a Friday night matchup against Dixie State in St. George, Utah. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Mountain Time from Hansen Stadium.